Press Release
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population Hon. Mr. Upendra Yadav participated in the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) held at the United Nations in New York today. Speaking in the Meeting, he highlighted the importance of universal health coverage and laid stress on ensuring affordable and quality health services for all. He shared Nepal’s progress in achieving UHC and called for an enhanced level of partnership and cooperation at all levels towards this end.
Earlier today, the Hon. Deputy Prime Minister delivered his welcome remarks in a high-level sideevent on‘Universal Health Coverage in LDCs: A Time for Accelerated Action’co-organized by Nepal with Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi and UN-OHRLLS. He highlighted Nepal’s achievements made in the field of quality health services and underlined the need to further accelerate actions to ensure UHC in LDCs.
Other high-level speakers of the side event included Health and Family Welfare Minister of Bangladesh H.E. Mr. Zahid Maleque; Minister for Health and Population of Malawi H.E. Mr. Jappie Mhango; Ethiopian Health Minister’s Councilor Dr. Tsion Firew; and UN USG and High-Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu. The speakers focused on the central role of health-related goals and targets towards the full realization of SDGs. The event was moderated by CEDAW Vice-Chairperson Ms. Bandana Rana.
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Minister for Foreign Affairs Hon. Mr. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali attended the inaugural session of the Climate Action Summit organized by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in New York today. Minister for Forests and Environment Hon. Mr. Shakti Bahadur Basnet and other members of the delegation also attended the Summit.
During the Summit, leaders and climate change activists from around the world highlighted the pressing need of accelerating climate action. They cautioned that this issue needed to be taken urgently as the gap between what we should do and what we are doing to combat climate change now widens even further.
On the sidelines of the Summit, the Hon. Foreign Minister had separate bilateral meetings with Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Finland H.E. Mr. Ville Skinnari; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of UAE Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash; UN USGfor Department of Peace Operations Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix; and UN USG for Department of Operational Support Mr. Atul Khare. During these meetings, matters of mutual interests and ways to further strengthening cooperation were discussed.
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In the evening, H.E. Mr. Amrit Bahadur Rai, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, hosted dinner in honour of the heads and members of Nepali delegations to the 74th session of UNGA and other high-level events.
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23 September 2019
New York